As a long time fan of Mr Farrell, my immediate reaction to this movie was that I wanted to see it. I still had reservations about it, for one I thought it looked cheesy, for two it had Russell Crowe putting on an Irish accent and for three, Akiva Goldsman. But more of that later.
From the trailer this just looks like a tale of doomed love, and potentially of a man reborn with the hopes of getting a second chance. This is not what the movie is about, at all. I will include the trailer below as I always do, but do not allow this to make your decision about this movie. What the film is actually about is the long standing feud between good and evil. With some doomed love thrown in on the side and a creepy bit involving a little girl that's been tacked on the end for good measure.
*There be spoilers ahead but no more so than in the trailer really*
Colin Farrell plays your average human thief Peter Lake, who meets Beverly (Brown Findlay) by chance whilst he's robbing her father's house. The year is 1916 and they fall in love, somehow with the blessing of her father, but they know that this can never last as she is terminally ill with consumption (what we would now call Tuberculosis). As they search for a way to save Beverly, Peter discovers that all humans have a miracle that they can give to someone, and he decides he will give his to Beverly and save her life. However, whilst there are humans with miracles to give, there are also demons, who's sole purpose is to stop the humans from giving away their miracle. Enter Russell Crowe as one such demon Pearly Soames. He manages to stop Peter from giving his miracle to Beverly, but not before Beverly gives her miracle to Peter, in the form of eternal life. Still following? Good. Soames then tries to dispose of Peter once and for all by throwing him off the Brooklyn Bridge, but all he manages to do is make Peter lose his memory. We then move to the present day where Peter has evaded Pearly and his men, but when he finds who his miracle is meant for, it puts him back in Pearly's sights, and he isn't going to let Peter go for a second time without a fight to the death. *End spoilers*
You may think my synopsis reads like a bit of a car crash. Well let me tell you, that is nothing compared to what a car crash this movie is. Let me preface by saying that I have not read the book on which the film was based. I imagine it reads a lot better than the script for the movie. It seems to me that the filmmakers decided to play down the mystical aspect of the film entirely, by not really showing any of that in the trailer, and instead presenting it as an old fashioned doomed romance. But then when those mystical elements pop up in the film it just seems all the more ludicrous.
I said at the start that one of the things that put me off was Russell Crowe's accent. It's actually a lot worse in the film than it is in the trailer, and only made more disappointing by the fact that he is acting opposite a genuine Irish man. There is no excuse Russell Crowe. No excuse at all.
The final element that really put me off the film was the fact that it was written and directed by Akiva Goldsman. A fact which I'd actually forgotten until the credits rolled, at which point I said aloud, 'ah, that explains it'. If you are unfamiliar with Mr Goldsman's career (if you can call it that), allow me to elaborate, he wrote Batman Forever, Batman & Robin AND the atrocious Lost In Space. As well as several other below average vehicles starring both Russell Crowe and Will Smith. Which I suppose explains the presence of both actors in this movie.
I don't care how badly Colin and co needed to pay their rent, they should never have made this steaming crap heap of a movie. 3 out of 10. (This would be a 2 but I'm awarding an extra point for Farrell and the New York setting).
Viewing Date - 21st February 2014
UK Release Date - 21st February 2014
Cast Overview:
Peter Lake ~ Colin Farrell
Beverly Penn ~ Jessica Brown Findlay
Virginia Gamely ~ Jennifer Connelly
Pearly Soames ~ Russell Crowe
Young Willa ~ Mckayla Twiggs
Adult Willa ~ Eva Marie Saint
Judge ~ Will Smith
Isaac Penn ~ William Hurt
Abby ~ Ripley Sobo
Peter's Father ~ Matt Bomer
Peter's Mother ~ Lucy Griffiths
Gabriel ~ Finn Wittrock
Horse ~ Listo
Director/Writer ~ Akiva Goldsman
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